2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The lack of adequate foundational mathematics and physics skills among many underrepresented in STEM students poses a significant challenge to retaining students in engineering professions. To tackle this challenge, Marymount University (MU) is implementing Project DREAM (Diversity Recruited into Engineering through Advanced Making) through the support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (IUSE HSI Program) NSF grant. We present the initial findings on student perceptions from a year-long introductory engineering course that employs low-cost makerspace technologies, such as 3D printing, Arduino, Python programming, and virtual reality, in project-based experiences to enhance foundational engineering skills. In the first semester students receive instruction in basic math and physics to supplement those introductory courses as well as comprehensive training in how to use 3D design software, operate 3D printers, program circuits, write basic code in Python and interact within VR environments, culminating in a capstone project experience. In the second semester, students apply these skills in teams to complete two guided capstone-style projects (e.g. 3D printed battle robots, programming AI dogs, fabricating magnetic stirrers and assembling a 3D printed SeaPerch subersible) Overall, students reported a positive experience with significant increases in confidence in areas of teamwork, problem solving, data management, engineering design, data analysis and technical skills. While students’ perception of the relationship between the skills developed through this course and themselves as engineering professionals improved through the duration of this course, this perception must be further strengthened. We suggest that this low-cost and accessible model can be utilized by any educational institution to provide in-demand foundational engineering skills to improve engagement and retention of underrepresented in STEM students using common makerspace technology.